South Sudan's flag raised at independence
ceremony
By Will
Ross
Tens
of thousands of South Sudanese have watched the raising of the new country's
flag at an independence ceremony in the capital, Juba as United Nations admits the newly created country to be the 193rd member.
Salva
Kiir signed the constitution and took his oath of office in front of the
jubilant crowds, becoming president of the world's newest nation.
Sudan's President Omar
al-Bashir and UN chief Ban Ki-moon were among dignitaries watching the events.
Sudan earlier became the first
state to officially recognise its new neighbour.
The
world's newest nation was born at midnight local South Sudanese time (2100
GMT), the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a
long civil war.
The
south's independence follows decades of conflict with the north in which some
1.5 million people died.
Continue
reading the main story
At
the scene
image
of Peter Martell Peter Martell BBC News, Juba
A
sea of people filled Freedom
Square in Juba,
next to the mausoleum of the late John Garang, the rebel leader who led the
South Sudanese during the civil war. They waved flags and screamed in happiness
as South Sudan officially became with world's
newest nation.
The
wild crowds surged forward, dancing for hours in the baking sun. Several people
fainted in the heat but the mood was ecstatic. When the giant flag of South Sudan rose on the 30m flagpole, men cried, women
ululated and thousands waved flags in a blur of colour.
A
host of world leaders spoke on the podium, but the real party was at the back
of the site where thousands danced to traditional drum beats.
Saturday's
independence ceremony was held at the mausoleum of the late rebel leader John
Garang, who died just months after signing the peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running conflict.
The
BBC's Will Ross in Juba says people flocked to
the event on a baking hot day - some of them climbing trees to get a view.
The
Speaker of the South Sudan Legislative Assembly, James Wani Igga, read out the
Proclamation of the Independence.
Crowds
then cheered as Sudan's
national flag was lowered and the new flag of South Sudan
was raised as trumpets played the new national anthem.
Afterwards
the master of ceremonies told the crowd that President Kiir has decided not to
hand over the flag of the Republic
of Sudan.
"It
shall be kept in the archives of South Sudan
in recognition of the common history that we have lived together," he told
the crowd.
Our
correspondent says people in the crowds said it was a moment to celebrate but
they were also talking about the many lost relatives who died during the war.
"Our
martyrs did not die in vain... We have waited for more than 56 years for this
day," President Kiir said.
A
man waves South Sudan's national flag as he attends the independence day
celebrations in the capital Juba, 9 July 2011
"It
is a day that will be forever engraved on our hearts and minds," he added,
before extending an amnesty to those who have taken up arms against the
government of South Sudan.
There
are at least seven active rebel groups in the south, one of the many challenges
the new country faces.
Mr
Bashir, who agreed the 2005 peace deal with the Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA), also spoke at the ceremony congratulating his "southern
brothers".
"The
will of the people of the south has to be respected," he said, adding that
he hoped the south's independence would lead the US to lift sanctions against his
country.
Other
dignitaries attending the celebrations included former US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the US permanent
representative to the UN, Susan Rice.
'Sad'
Meanwhile,
in Khartoum,
for most people it has been a low-key day, the BBC James Copnall reports from
the northern capital.
Facts
and figures:
Population: 7.5-9.7 million
Size: 619,745 sq km (239,285 sq miles),
larger than Spain and Portugal
combined
Major languages: English, Arabic (both
official), Juba Arabic, Dinka
Religion: Traditional and a Christian
minority
Main export: Oil
Challenges
ahead:
One of world's least developed countries:
Worst maternal mortality rate; most children below 13 not in school; 84% of
women are illiterate
Relations with Sudan: Dividing debts and oil;
border disputes; citizenship
Security: At least seven active rebel
groups
However,
scores of men gathered near the Blue Nile
holding giant Sudanese flags and shouting: "Allahu Akbar [God is great].
"I'm
very happy today. We feel this is our independence day too, our real
independence day," one man said.
But
not everyone in the north feels that way, our reporter says.
Famous
actor Ali Mahdi told the BBC he was sad, although he respected the choice of
South Sudanese.
He
felt is could also be the opportunity for Sudan to become a more democratic
country.
Under
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, a referendum was held on independence, which
was approved by more than 99% of voters.
South Sudan is rich in oil, but is one of the
least developed countries in the world, where one in seven children dies before
the age of five.
Correspondents
say keeping both the north and the south stable long after the celebratory
parties have ended will be a challenge.
Fears
of a new war resurfaced after recent fighting in two border areas, Abyei and South Kordofan, where some 170,000 people have been
forced from their homes.
Separate
deals - and the withdrawal of rival forces from the border - have calmed
tensions.
But
the two sides must still decide on issues such as drawing up the new border and
how to divide Sudan's
debts and oil wealth.
Citizenship
is also a key sticking point. A new law passed by the National Assembly in Khartoum has withdrawn
Sudanese citizenship from all southerners.
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